Sharing insights since 2007 on carefully saving money, investing, frugal living, coupons, promo codes because the little things matter in achieving financial freedom!
Whether you choose to get organic food because you believe in more sustainable methods of agriculture, have heard that organic foods are more nutrient dense or because of medical concerns, there are many reasons that lead people to go organic. But even if you consider organic food to be an investment in the planet’s future or in your health, you surely want to save where you can because the prices can shock you. There are several well-recognized ways to cut your organic food bill. Here are a few.
Cooperative Ventures
While other groups of people support cooperative lifestyles, for some reason, those interested in organic foods seem to have a real advantage. Purchasing your dry goods with a food co-op will often save you 30-40% right off the bat. One of the reasons you save so much is that you eliminate the middleman.
My co-op ordered monthly, and each of us had a booklet that listed everything the distributor carried. We would e-mail each other our list of the month and see who wanted to share cases of a certain product. The order would be sent in and each month someone else would drive down to the warehouse, about an hour away, and pick up everything.
Once the driver got home we all met to parcel out the goods. An additional benefit was advance knowledge regarding which items would be on sale so we could stock up for the season. [ continue reading… ]
A home costs a lot of money over the years, whether you rent an apartment or buy a house. But the costs go up by a lot if you find yourself having to do major repairs — the bill a plumber or an electrician can send may quickly translate into a heart attack.
But an ounce of prevention really can be worth a pound of cure, just like Ben Franklin said. Putting time and effort into maintenance means that even if there is a problem, you’ll see it coming. At the very least, it means you can save up for the repair work you know you’ll need to do. Here are 10 tips. [ continue reading… ]
One of the numbers that is repeatedly thrown about to represent “being rich” is an annual salary of $250,000 a year. Others, though, don’t consider you “rich” unless you make $1 million. I know some families who would consider themselves “rich” if they could hit the $100,000 mark for an annual salary.
Obviously, the definition of “rich” is something that is completely subjective. One person’s “rich” is another person’s “poor”. Indeed, most of us probably just prefer to think of ourselves as “middle class”, even though many of us think it would be nice to be “rich” some day.
So let’s try to define it despite all the baggage. We could run into problems though, since “richness” can’t really be defined by something as simple as a dollar amount. Here’s a few more pointers to consider:
Location, Location, Location
One of the biggest issues affecting how “rich” you are is where you live. I live in an area where my earnings as a freelance writer have garnered us a comfortable (yet modest) home, and the ability to meet all of our expenses with ease. We are saving for retirement, and saving for short term goals. And we still have money left over to enjoy eating out sometimes, watch movies on occasion and even travel to see family. My husband can buy video games when he wants, and I can get the new book I’ve been waiting for when it comes out. However, if we lived somewhere else, our income wouldn’t go nearly as far.
As long as we are living where we do, we might be considered “rich” — even though we don’t make anywhere near $250,000 a year. But if we moved to someplace along the coast, we’d quickly find ourselves feeling “poor”. Indeed, even those “rich” folks making more than $250,000 a year might feel themselves “poor” when living in a high priced area where a big chunk of their income is taken up by expensive housing, and where discretionary income dwindles, even with a large salary.
Another consideration is that “rich” does not always equate to money. If you are content with your current income, making extra money is not as important. Many people feel “rich” even when they make less than $100,000 a year because of other factors:
Good health
Surrounded by family
Enjoy time with friends
Content with frugal entertainment choices
No need to clutter the house with stuff
Feel accomplishment when saving up for goals (such as travel)
For many, being debt free and able to save for the future, while enjoying the simple pleasures of life, constitutes “wealth.” And, truth to tell, a lot of my contentment comes from being able to take my son to the little zoo we have in town ($1 for each of us), or heading up to the lake, an hour away, for a little camping trip. No need to spend big bucks, and I feel richly blessed just floating in a $3 tube on the lake after waking up to a chorus of birds.
In the end, whether or not you are “rich” depends little on an arbitrary dollar amount. It really depends on your own situation, your money motivations and how you feel about your personal finances.
So, with that in mind, are you rich? What makes you rich (or poor)?
Dry cleaning your clothes is an expensive proposition. For many business people, the need to have suits properly cleaned may seem non-negotiable as it relates directly to their professional appearance. However, with a little effort, you could be saving money and looking good. Read on…
Avoid buying clothes that need dry cleaning
While there are some items that are going to need dry cleaning no matter what, such as suits or wool coats, purchasing clothes you can wash at home is less expensive. Cotton dress shirts are easy to wash at home, and if you take them out of the dryer while still a bit damp and hang them, ironing is minimal.
There are also shirts that are of the non-wrinkle type. Buying those instead could literally save you hundreds of dollars a year. [ continue reading… ]
I was perplexed when I read that one needs $12 million in savings to feel rich. No way, I thought, but I read on… $300,000 in annual income living in New York City, a $3,800 per month apartment, taxes, inflation and retiring at 35 until the age of 100 assuming 2.5% inflation and 5% return on investment.
Whew. I was relieved after I was done with the article. Good thing the author doesn’t live on a place we like to call Earth. [ continue reading… ]
One of the issues that can get in the way of a solid financial future is ignorance of your own motivations. Many of us are not used to self examination, especially when it comes to finances. This is because we often think of our money as something that comes in, and then is saved and spent. We rarely think about why we do certain things beyond acknowledging that we are saving “for the future” or that we need to “pay the bills.”
However, in order to understand your finances better, it can help to thoughtfully consider what motivates you to do what you do. In some cases, you might discover that some of the money decisions you make have no basis in what you are interested in accomplishing.
Money Motivations
Most of us have a variety of reasons for the choices we make. These motivations may even be somewhat obscure to us, since we haven’t made an examination of them. You can get started on uncovering your own financial priorities and values by honestly considering whether any of the following motivate you: [ continue reading… ]
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